Electrostatic discharge (ESD) is a common difficulty in the manufacture and use of semiconductor transistors and related devices. ESD may occur, for example, due to an electrostatic charge imparted by a person or tool coming into unintentional contact with a conductive portion of a transistor, such as a drain contact or lead of the transistor. Such ESD has the potential to damage or destroy an affected transistor, and disrupt operations of connected circuitry and devices.
In particular, a transistor that is an ultra high voltage (UHV) device is susceptible to ESD damage. Existing models or standards for testing against device failure due to ESD, such as the Human Body Mode (HBM), demonstrate that existing ESD protection schemes provide protection up to about 1.5 kilovolts (kV), which is likely to be insufficient in many cases for UHV devices.